IEEE 1394 (hereinafter 1394), also known as FIREWIRE or i-Link, is a high-speed connection capable of copy protection, transmitting audio and video over a single cable (and power too, in some cases), and transmitting network commands. With two 1394 connectors on the back of a device, 1394 devices can be connected in either a hub or device-to-device configuration to create a network of 1394 devices.
Some display devices such as, for example, a high definition television (HDTV) as the RCA DM2CR has two 1394 connectors that are bi-directional for communications. That is, these connectors are capable of both inputting media to the HDTV (from an external source) and outputting media from the HDTV (to an external device such as a storage device). The benefit to an HDTV outputting audio and video via 1394 is that a digital television program received and tuned by the HDTV can be output via to a digital recorder and recorded. Examples of digital recorders to which the present invention may be applied include, but are not limited to, a storage device such as an Audio Video Hard Disk Drive (AVHDD), a Digital Video Cassette Recorder (DVCR), and so forth. Other interface mechanisms (such as, for example, Home Appliance Virtual Interface (HAVI)) may be used to accomplish the above-described feature.
Since the DM2CR HDTV can output video via 1394, an AVHDD (Audio Video Hard Disk Drive) would make an ideal companion accessory to the DM2CR HDTV. The TV remote can be used to operate the AVHDD (e.g., Play, Record, Stop, and so forth) since the AVHDD does not have its own remote nor its own On-Screen Display (OSD).
However, in the preceding arrangement involving a HDTV and an AVHDD, the problem exists in how to give a user an awareness of the remaining space on the AVHDD so that the user can know whether sufficient space exists on the hard drive to record a particular program. A further problem exists when information cannot be extracted from the AVHDD during recording nor displayed during recording because the storage device is incapable of generating a video signal to display such information. Accordingly, a user may begin recording a program only to ascertain during that recording that insufficient space exists on the AVHDD to record the program in its entirety.
Accordingly, it would be desirable and highly advantageous to have a method for providing a user with an indication of whether sufficient space remains to fully record a program on an AVHDD that does not have its own On-Screen Display (OSD).